Grand Haven's Dirk Bakker turned in a pair of top multisport performances in July, finishing ninth overall in the hometown Olympic distance duathlon on July 13 and taking sixth overall last Sunday in the Mackinaw City Multisport Mix sprint tri.

In Mackinaw, the 40-year-old Bakker was 23rd coming out of the 875-yard swim in the Straits of Mackinac (14:41).

Bakker powered his way through a field of 20-somethings on the 18 1/2-mile bike leg, averaging 23.5 mph (46:46).

Bakker averaged 6:26 miles on the closing 3.1-mile run (19:58) to finish in 1:23:18.

Dave Smith, 24, of Virginia Beach, Va., got the win in 1:17:13.

A week earlier in Middleville, Grand Haven's Anne Varner, 25, was the women's runner up at the Carl's Family Happy Trails YMCA sprint tri.

Varner had a 2:33 lead over Julie Scardino after the 875-yard swim and still led by a minute following the 12.4-mile bike. However, the 29-year-old from Canton was relentless on the 3.1-mile run, catching and passing Varner to take the win by :39.

Scardino finished in 1:21:50, with Varner crossing in 1:22:29. Varner regained second on the run after she was passed on the bike by Rachel Jones, 37, of Novi, who finished 14 seconds back in third (1:22:43).

CYCLING

Spring Lake's Terry Bandstra holds a slim lead over West Bloomfield's Mark Cahn in the Master Men 45+ Michigan Challenge season standings going into the state crit this weekend in Ada.

Bandstra leads Cahn 112-108, but Cahn has beaten the local West Michigan Coast Rider twice so far this season in crits. Cahn finished first and Bandstra second on June 28 in Rockford. Bandstra was fourth and Cahn third in Allen Park on June 14.

Bandstra's West Michigan Coast Riders teammate Fred Anderson of Okemos is a distant third in the 45+ standings with 76 points.

RUNNING

Chris Cook 5K

It was mom vs. the Packer girls cross country team in the Women's 5K at the Chris Cook Memorial in Fremont on July 19.

Master's winner Debbie Lanciaux, 46, proved she could still crack the Packer's starting lineup with a 21:19, good for sixth in the 115-runner women's field and 42nd overall of the 244 finishers.

The top four spots in the women's race all went to members of the team Fremont sent to last year's state meet, including Lanciaux's 16-year-old daughter Danielle Lanciaux, who finished second in the in 20:33. Laura Anderson, 16, was the women's overall winner in 20:12; Katie Brookhouse, 17, took third in 20:36 and Melissa Morgan, 15, was fourth in 20:42.